Mattanawcook hasn't had much luck against Bucksport recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Lynx will take on the Golden Bucks at 4:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Mattanawcook's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. They were the clear victors by a 6-0 margin over Foxcroft Academy.
Julianna Cloukey made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 12 over seven innings pitched. Cloukey was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with three runs and one double.
Cloukey wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Megan House, who went 1-for-5 with two RBI and one run. Riley Irish also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Bucksport strolled into their game on Friday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They blew past Searsport 27-0. That looming 27-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Golden Bucks yet this season.
Like Mattanawcook, Bucksport also got a great game from a two-way player: Marina Keene. On the mound, Keene tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Meanwhile, Natalie Simpson tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one earned run any time she's pitched this season. At bat, Keene got on base in all five of her plate appearances with four runs and two RBI, while Simpson went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, Jetta Shook was a standout: she got on base in all five of her plate appearances with three runs, four RBI, and one stolen base. Emma Clement was another key player, going 2-for-3 with four runs and three RBI.
Bucksport was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .455. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive contests.
Mattanawcook's victory was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-2. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average this season. As for Bucksport, their record now sits at 7-0.
Mattanawcook suffered a grim 11-1 defeat to Bucksport when the teams last played on Thursday. Can the Lynx avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
